Various food and other substances subject to spoilage and/or contamination are commonly packaged in bottles in a fill-and-seal operation. Because of the desire for greater purity and longer shelf life for such bottled products, a sanitizer, such as a peroxide (H2O2), is often sprayed on the interior of the bottle prior to filling to reduce the likelihood of product contamination or spoilage due to microorganisms. As can be readily appreciated, the effectiveness of the sanitizer depends on thorough coverage of the interior of the container by the sanitizer spray. The sub-system for spraying the sanitizer has several operating parameters which can be varied to change the effectiveness of the spray coverage, such as the spray pattern, system operating pressure, sanitizer flow rate, temperature, sanitizer concentration, contact time, and the like. With respect to the spray pattern of the sanitizer, this is primarily a function of the configuration and direction of the nozzles through which the sanitizer is sprayed. However, once these parameters have been established and the sanitizing function for the production line qualified, effective sanitizer coverage is reasonably assured.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for determining the effectiveness of a sanitizer spray sub-system in a bottle filling and capping procedure.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for visually determining the degree of spray coverage for a bottle sanitizer so that the optimal operating characteristics for the nozzles of the spray system may be established and maintained during on-line bottle filling and capping operations.
These objects, as well as others that will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description, are provided by a method for evaluating the degree of coverage of a spray on the interior of a container in which a fluorescing solution or dye is prepared and applied to the interior of the container through the nozzles used in the fill-and-cap line to apply spray sanitizer. The fluorescing dye is then dried, or allowed to dry, on the interior of the container, after which the interior of the container is illuminated with UV light to activate the fluorescing dye. The activated fluorescing dye is viewed and evaluated to provide an indication of the extent of spray coverage based upon the degree or percentage of surface area emitting light and the intensity of light cast by the activated fluorescing dye.
Preferably, the fluorescing dye comprises a riboflavin, combined with sucrose and water. In addition, after the activated fluorescing dye is viewed and coverage evaluated, the nozzles may be adjusted and the steps repeated until it is determined that satisfactory coverage from the spray is attained.